Nick Kyrgios has confirmed that he will not participate in the Australian Open singles draw this year, opting instead to focus on doubles, where he is expected to team up again with Thanasi Kokkinakis.
“After some good conversations with TA, I’ve made the call to focus on doubles for this year’s AO. I’m fit and back on court, but 5-setters are a different beast and I’m not quite ready to go the distance yet,” Kyrgios shared in his Instagram story section on Friday.
“This tournament means everything to me but I’d rather give my spot to someone who’s ready to make their moment count. It’s all building blocks and I’ll be back next year and pumped to compete. See you out there,” he added.
In 2025, Kyrgios played just five matches before ending his season in March. He gradually returned to competition with a series of exhibition matches in New York and Dubai last month, later receiving a wildcard for the Brisbane International, where he lost 6-3, 6-4 to Aleksander Kovacevic in the first round on Tuesday.
Additionally, Kyrgios and his doubles partner, Thanasi Kokkinakis, were defeated by the French duo Sadio Doumbia and Fabien Reboul on Wednesday in the second round in Brisbane.
Kyrgios has faced multiple serious injuries in recent years, causing his world ranking to plummet to 673, leaving him without a protected ranking. The former Wimbledon finalist has competed in just one Grand Slam match since 2022.
He claimed the men’s doubles title with fellow Australian Thanasi Kokkinakis at the Australian Open 2022, defeating Matthew Ebden and Max Purcell in straight sets.
Since losing the 2022 Wimbledon final to Novak Djokovic, Kyrgios has undergone a wrist reconstruction and two knee surgeries. He has competed in only six professional singles matches over the past three years and has not played since Miami in March last year.